The skies were cloudless on the cool mid-morning day above Shirotsume Town. People were out and about, preparing for their days and everything else they liked to do in the mornings. Here, a teenage girl with long, blonde hair was wandering the streets, unable to sit still after all of her studies. She was dressed in a somewhat short blue dress and a pink coat, with long white socks and black shoes. She kind of wanted to be in a better disguise in a place where the Crusaders were starting to take hold, just like every other town, but she knew hiding in plain sight sometimes worked best. Besides, she was the youngest Loyalist in her camp, and probably the least suspicious person overall.

Toril played with her rings behind her back, causing one of them to spark to life slightly, glowing a blue hue before dying back down a fraction of a second later. It wasn’t on purpose though. Part of her was nervous, and the other part of her was on the hunt for brunch. The girl had an amazing metabolism, and she ate a ton without gaining a pound. She was eyeing the stands on the sides of the street, and the shops behind them. Everything smelled so good. That is, everything that was actually food. She didn’t mind glancing at the jewelry either though. She liked rings, obviously. “Hmm… what to eat?” she mumbled to herself as her brown eyes searched around for something that caught her eye.

Shirotsume seemed like the perfect place to hunt renegade Council members. Blue Pegasus had aligned itself with the Loyalists, so it only seemed natural that the Loyalists would be more bold in Blue Pegasus's home turf. But that was a sad mistake. Saigara arrived in Shirotsume with his full uniform on. Proudly displaying his colors once more. The town had gone completely silent at his bold move, and frankly, he didn't care. He needed to prove his loyality and worth to the Crusaders. If trouble attacked him because of his affiliation... all the better. It was easier to weed out rats with bait, and he had no qualms playing the bait himself.

He could stand the harsh glares... if only something would happen. After two hours of wandering and no leads, he was beginning to grow frustrated. He leaned against the hilt of his sword and sighed, staring at nothing in particular. ...When he saw her. By first impression, she was just a normal Shirotsume resident. Maybe it was because he wanted to find trouble. But some gut feeling told him to watch out for her. It was based on nothing; a simple instinct. And the best lead he had right now. "You there," he hailed the girl, who was browsing stalls ranging from food to jewelry. If nothing else, causing more animosity in this town would only provoke a reaction sooner. "State your business. There's no point in 'shopping' unless you have money." Because really, she didn't seem like the type who held a dime to her name.

Toril had money. She didn’t have a lot now that her parents couldn’t send her anything, but she had plenty for the food she wanted, for the moment at least. She could really use the treat after the way her life had taken a turn for the worse with the Crusader takeover. And now it looked like one wanted to ruin her day again. She let out a quiet squeak when the man called out to her, demanding to know her business. It didn’t sound like he knew who she was, at least, so there wasn’t any reason to panic. That was what she kept telling herself in her own head.

“Is there a problem officer?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. She obviously wasn’t afraid of him as she turned, her hands still behind her back. “I do have money. I was just looking for some lunch is all,” she told him honestly. Maybe if she were friendly he would leave her alone, or at least not recognize her for who she was. At least her hair was covering her tattoo. Toril approached the officer casually, doing her best to look like an innocent teenager, instead of a junior paladin with holder rings filled with magic.. She disliked him already, just for being one of them and seeming so smug about it. She hoped it didn’t show.

Saigara showed next to no reaction. The girl seemed harmless enough, even seemed to be going out of her way to remain non-offensive. That wasn't going to deter his current methods, however. Whether this girl had money or not didn't really matter. "There's no problem. Not yet, at least. That depends on your next answer," he told her. "I've heard rumors about traitorous council members hiding out around Shirotsume. I don't suppose you would know anything about that?" He was just going to strike blindly until he found the right target. Someone around here either was part of the Loyalists, or would have connections to them. Just asking around might force them to take action, too. And if that didn't work... he could always provoke a reaction.

The Loyalists liked to pride their intentions over the law. Somehow they thought they were being more honorable or just. But if that was really the case, if people really thought that, they would have more power. They weren't strong because they didn't have the support. Cornelius had lost a lot of public favor... while Mordekai had gained it. "Tell me your name," he said to Toril, before giving his own. Regardless of whether she had information or not, he liked making mental notes of people he met. It would make finding her again easier, if the chance arose that he needed to do so.

“There’s not a problem. Not yet, at least. That depends on your next answer.” Toril frowned at this answer. This boy was cocky. He was cocky and a jerk, based on how he was currently acting. Her problem now was… Toril was a terrible liar, and she was immediately put on edge when he asked her information about the council. Why he was targeting her… he either already knew something, or didn’t realize she was only just barely sixteen. Some guys couldn’t tell girls’ ages, right? Toril wasn’t that good at telling with guys, though she was better than some. “Of course I know about that,” she answered with a tilt of her head. She was going to have to be at least partially truthful if she had any hope of pulling it off. “I heard Blue Pegasus was helping them, or something like that. That’s why you would be here looking for them, right?”

Behind her back, Toril played with her rings agitatedly. One of them sparked again as she tried to calm her nerves. She hated lying, and she was terrible at it. Would she have to fight him or would her ploy work? This guy seemed to be on some kind of hunt for stray Loyalists, and Toril didn’t want to be on his menu. She obviously didn’t like his tone, and she obviously wasn’t afraid of him even if he was stronger. She could feel her heart pumping from a combination of nerves and anger. Work smarter, not harder, Nines kept telling her. This might just be the day she had to put that into use. She hoped he wasn’t dumb enough to attack a random girl with no proof she was a junior paladin, herself, not to mention that he wasn’t smart enough to know she wasn’t telling the whole truth.

Saigara crossed his arms while Tori talked. She wasn't answering his question, not directly at least. Not in a way that he thought she was suspicious, but rather that she wasn't paying attention. Saigara could be patient if he needed to be. When he didn't need to, however, he had little patience. "The exact reason why I'm here shouldn't concern you," he frowned. He was a little more agitated that she had yet to give her name, either. "Tell me what you know abou-" He practically stopped mid-sentence when he thought he saw something. A flash or flicker of light, some kind of spark. It was then that Saigara realized this girl had been holding her hands behind her back this entire time. At first he'd dismissed it as overly polite posture. But maybe that wasn't the case at all.

"What's behind your back?" He demanded. He was starting to think his earlier assumption of thievery might actually have some merit. Or, was it some kind of magic? A holder weapon, perhaps... Saigara's eyes narrowed. If this was a Blue Pegasus member, she would certainly have some information. Maybe he was thinking too far though. "If you're not shoplifting, I trust you'll have no qualms about showing me your hands."

Toril continued trying to look curious as Saigara fround at her. He started to demand she say something, but he stopped when her ring sparked a bit. Mentally, she cursed and hoped she hadn’t doomed herself to having to fight the man. Sure, she wanted to punish the crusaders for being idiots, but that didn’t mean she was out to pick fights against people who might be stronger than her in a place that was disadvantageous. Fight smarter, not harder.

“Behind my back?” she blinked, holding up her hands for him to see. Her fingers were adorned with four rings, three of which held lacrima. He wasn’t going to leave her alone, and he certainly wasn’t going to stop bothering people. She realized that much all of a sudden. He hadn’t noticed her rings, and he hadn’t recognized her. He was just picking fights. He would get one if it meant she could save people from getting wrongly accused by him. “Just this.”

Suddenly, the silver ring sparked blue as she reached out to touch him, and her palm suddenly had the effect of a powerful blast of water impacting him, if he couldn’t dodge it in time. She was counting on him not expecting a sudden frontal assault from a girl who had just been acting confused an innocent. If it hit him, the water would act like shackles that would keep him from moving or getting up for the moment. Whether it worked or not, she was ready to get into her first real fight on her own, hoping all of her training at the hands of Nines would be enough to see her through. "It's people like you that give the Council a bad name! You make me sick!"

MP: 90/100

Name: PuddleElement: Water.Rank: 1MP cost: 10.Effect: a spell that is perfect for someone who needs to stop someone from running. One simple touch and they get hit with a bucket full of water,as if it came out of a cannon. Drenching them completely, most likely sending them flying, and the water keeps them from moving.

Saigara was clearly not amused, even when Tori held up her hands. She wasn't holding onto anything - Saigara was fairly certain he would have noticed if she tried to hide something last minute. But then there were those rings. Wait, did those rings have- His thought couldn't even finish. Tori's hand slammed into him before he could realize what was going on. Clearly he had let his guard down against this girl. "Oof!" Saigara was sent flying to the ground, his entire being now drenched with water. Worse, the water felt unnaturally heavy, and he couldn't even budge far enough to grab his sword. "Y-you little..." A surreal rage flooded through his entire being.

So this girl thought she stood a chance against him? He couldn't tell if she had panicked and attacked, or if she was just honestly that stupid. The glare he was giving her pretty clearly summed up his intentions. Whether she was Blue Pegasus, Loyalist, or just stupid, nothing was going to spare her now. "You better use this opportunity to run for your life, because as soon as this novice spell wears off, there's not going to be much left of you to drag back to Era!" They were in a populated section of town, and already quite a few people had stopped to watch. This fight was going to cause quite the scene, whether they wanted it to or not.

Toril was almost shocked when her surprise attack worked. She stood there blinking for a fraction of a second as Saigara struggled and yelled at her. She only got more angry when he started talking about how badly he would hurt her – the girl who he still knew nothing about. Toril’s young voice took on a dark, angry tone when she opened her mouth next. “Your threats are an insult to the Magic Council, as is your conduct. It’s people like you that give them a bad name.”

“You hurt people and make them do whatever you want and call that order. Screw that. That’s not what the Council is about.” Toril continued standing in a readied position. The yellow-tinted Lacrima flared up on her hand, and suddenly a lightning bolt came down from the sky. One of the cardinal rules of a young Paladin’s training – if the subject is making threats to an officer, subdue them so that they won’t hurt anyone.

The bolt easily struck the boy, since he was both stuck to the ground and drenched with nice, conducive water. Toril let out a frustrated Growl. She wanted so badly to do more. So very badly. “Now, stay down,” she told him just as she had the fake criminals in her training courses. The only problem was… she had nothing to arrest him with. She hadn’t thought this part through in her amateurish anger, and it made her blush from embarrassment for a short moment.

MP 80/100:

Name: White LightElement: Lightning.Rank: 1MP cost: 10(20)Effect: Pointing the Lacrima enhanced Ring at a target allows the caster to summon a lightning bolt from the sky to drop down like the spear of god and smite them. Due to being actual electricity born of nature and magic, does some fancy stuff like electrocute Metal, and Water.

The girl was going on and on some self-righteous rant. This was precisely the kind of conduct that Saigara expected from the Loyalists. Now more than ever, he was certain that this wench was part of them. Sure, she might complain that his conduct was terrible… but he wasn’t the one who initiated this fight. Words were one thing, but actions spoke louder. She was the one who had chosen force.

A flash of light, and suddenly the water holding him down sparked with electricity. He cried out sharply as the electricity wracked his body. A cloud of smoke rose as the water evaporated from the charged heat. The light, however, did not fade. When the smoke cleared, Saigara stood in its place, no longer trapped… nor injured enough to stay down. There were still remnants of smoke about him, but the light was now radiating from his back. Behind him were a pair of white-feathered angel wings, glowing with an ethereal light.

The hardened water fell off him like chalk, great globs of it broken from a combination of the spell’s fading power, and the lightning bolt. His head was bowed, bangs hiding his hair, hands limp and still burning from the last attack, the posture somehow highlighting his wings even further. That last attack had hurt, probably more than he liked to admit. But if she thought he was going down to some surprise but novice-level spells, she was wrong.

“I should thank you, girl,” Saigara said thinly. “I wasn’t lying when I said I was looking for traitorous scum, and you’ve just made your alliance painfully clear. Unfortunately, the combination of your stupidity and insolence disgusts me far more than any gratitude I might feel.” His hand reached towards his sword… “Now then, if you have any last prayers I suggest you say them now, for you might find yourself unable to make any sounds outside of screams,” he grinned. She was ‘resisting’, and as a Seeker, that gave him all the permission he needed to spill her blood.

Toril took an almost involuntary step back when Saigara got up, the wings sprouting on his back like an angel of death. The girl was pretty sure he was completely insane, especially as he went and started ranting about causing her pain. Whelp, she’d gotten herself into this mess by losing her temper, it was time to show him she could finish it. “No, thank you, boy.” She retaliated by calling him by his gender as well. A grin crossed her face as her water ring sparked to life again as the lacrima recharged to a useable state. “I’ve been trying to decide where I stand when it comes to attacking a former ally, but if they’re all as self-righteous and jerkish as you, I don’t think I’ll have any problem with it.”

Toril’s foot shifted, and she waited for Saigara to make the first move. She was currently better prepared for defense than offense, and her brains were far more valuable than her still novice fighting skills. She was angry, but Saigara was hot-headed. Toril had only had a moment of blind rage. If she could, she was going to make sure he was too angry to think straight. She’d be in a much better position if she could outsmart him.

Saigara's smile never faltered. The girl clearly neither respected nor feared him. Well, he'd make sure that changed. The last attack had relied on the element of surprise - which he had fallen for, admittedly. But surprising him twice, that wouldn't be possible. At least, not with her current skill level. Evenly he withdrew Vajra, the platinum blade seeming like a normal sword. But within its hilt, instead of the pommel, glowed a lacrima. Magical energy surrounded his sword, giving it an unnatural glow. From the way Tori was waiting, he assumed she wanted him to make the first blow. That was fine with him.

The last surprise attack had upset him, but not blinded him. He was still completely confident that this battle was in his hands. "I think you're forgetting a key difference between you and I. You're the one who broke the law, and aligned yourself with a bunch of traitors. I am the law. Is there camaraderie between justice and rule-breakers? Don't delude yourself," he laughed. Saigara felt no fidelity towards the former Magic Councilmen... and he seriously doubted that they did, either. This girl was either a sentimental fool, or lying. In the end, it didn't matter which... he would take her down. He lunged towards her, making the first move to break their stalemate. The white wings still glowed behind him, the rest of Shirotsume witness to their fight.

Saigara MP 110/150:

Spell name: Wings of Icarus (*sustained from last post, forgot to put the cost above so putting here...)Element: LightRank: 2MP cost: 20 MP (10 sustained)Effect: Saigara forms a deeper spiritual connection, which enhances his spells. In this state, all of his magic becomes more powerful. He appears to grow feathered white wings, although they are just a manifestation of his spirt. As such they are intangible and cannot be struck or injured. They glow with an ethereal light and can even illuminate dark places.

Spell name: Glass Blade GarasukenElement: LightRank: 1MP cost: 10 MP Effect: Saigara infuses his blade with magical energy. Anything he touches with it becomes immobilized in crystals, which blossom over the targetted area. Similar to petrification, but instead of stone, the appearance is that of glass.

There was a moment where Nines could’ve sworn he saw Tori today. But that didn't really seem like the case. The girl was looking at Jewelry in the middle of the day, Tori would probably be eating. Other than that the two could very obviously have been twins. Which was interesting, he would have to tell Tori about it, she would prolly stare at him really weird and try to figure out why he was telling her that information.

There was a reason of course, but he would never tell her what it was.

Nines stopped when he saw a Magic councilmen. The uniform was a nice touch to the giant “F**k you” from the crusaders. Soon however the entire day devolved into something Nines should’ve expected when he saw Tori, because yes that girl was actually Tori. Nines found that out when she confronted the Crusader who had been walking around town. Suddenly she smacked him with one of her water spells, then blasted the man with a lightning bolt. It was a good thing they were criminals already, or this would be ripe for a decommisioning. Nines sighed, he wasn’t going to get involved. He looked back at the menu in his hand. Then actually thought about the irony in this situation.

Here he was dressed in his street clothes, at a resturant, getting ready to order food. While his apprentice was over there fighting a crusader without him. She was tough yes, but she wasnt as tough as him. She should really be him right now, and he should be her. The server for his table walked up and she smiled happily at him. She was wearing something Nines would never have let someone who worked for him wear. Short skirts werent really a thing he appreciated anymore.

“Are you ready to order sir?” The kind girl asked. Nines sighed, he already knew what he was going to do. “Yes, however I have a pressing engagement, can you ask your manager how much one of these tables cost?” Nines asked. “And please hurry.” He smiled at her refusing to put down the menu. He was looked at really weird but she was definitely good at her job as she went back to the kitchen, Nines watched the two stumble with words from the corner of his eye.

He knew the Councilman, read his file a few times. Saigara Tenshou, used flashy magic, and had a just as flashy and annoying personality. Nines hated shit like that. The lady came back and pointed at him, Nines looked up and found himself staring at a large man built like a bear. “Why are you asking the price of my tables?” The manager asked. “Simple I wish to purchase this one” Nines said with a smile. “Well they’re about this much, and I get them at this address” The manager smiled at Nines, and handed him a slip of paper. Nines took a glance at it, and raised an eyebrow. That much. For a table. He was never eating here again. The food was mid tier, the service was nice but not THAT nice. He nodded and pulled out a sack of Jewels, and opened it. He pulled two jewels out, and gave the man the sack. Then reached down and grabbed the edge of the table.

The manager was confused, “W-what are you doing?”“I told you, I wanted to buy THIS table.” Nines clarified as he picked the table up, and walked past the confused customers and workers. He opened up the door and looked at the fight, he had been distracted by the manager so much he didn't notice Saigara start with his sword. Shit, he was going to have to get involved quicker than he originally wanted. He lowered the table and grabbed it with his other hand, then spun around in a circle a few times and let go, flinging it at the space between Saigara and Tori. He then reached downwards towards his waist as his outfit changed into his Council Armor, his hand curling around his sword as it materialized. He drew the blade and started walking toward the two.

The junior paladin let out a squeal when a table suddenly entered the battlefield, shattering in front of her as shards of ruined wood. A shield of seemingly liquid metal formed around her as her silver ring glowed brightly. The sound of wood splintering into her shield could be heard, and almost as quickly the metal sphere dissipated into thin air as her ring stopped glowing. “That was a little close, Sir Nines!” she shouted, not even looking at him. She had adopted a grin though. Saigara was outnumbered and outmatched with a ‘real’ Council member showing up to assist.“This guy was harassing random teenage girls in the hope he’d get lucky and find trouble!” Toril knew Nines could handle the situation on his own, but that didn’t mean she was going to let her own guard down, especially not while a certain someone had a sword he was willing to use on the junior paladin. Her blond hair blew in the cool wind dramatically, her brown eyes already sparkling with a mixture of relief and a resurgence of confidence. “A real Paladin would never do that, not like these bullies,” she insisted. She didn’t make an attack though, instead being defensive while she waited to see what Saigara and Nines would do.

Saigara’s attention was focused on Tori; he had learned to mainly tune out the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something approach. “What in the-“ Barely he managed to dance away in time, the rather large table splintering from the impact. Flipping around he saw yet another contender. This one much looked like the traditional Loyalist, instead of the girl. Sir Nines, the girl had called him. The name did sound familiar, he knew it was a Loyalist name but couldn’t recall the fine details.

Saigara settled on a frown, his anger containing itself quietly. They were like rats, multiplying and scurrying about in greater numbers. And as for him, he had entered the town alone. “A REAL Paladin is recognized by the people as such, instead of being a criminal donned in street clothes, pretending to be on the right side of the law.” The sword was still in his hand, but now pointing to the ground; he too seemed to be waiting for the others to respond. “However, we seem to be causing quite the scene in town. I wouldn’t want any of the townsfolk to get hurt in our skirmish,” he smirked. “For their safety, I suppose I can let the two of you go.”